


Starchaser

by venomhwa



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Space, M/M, Science Fiction, agender Seonghwa, vague but good ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:36:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28313931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venomhwa/pseuds/venomhwa
Summary: “I’m not going to hurt you,” Hongjoong explained calmly, in his own language, worry filling his gaze, beginning to feel trapped by the enormous Yisnahan.Hongjoong had to act or run for his life.‘What are you, red stranger?’
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	Starchaser

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mothman_plays_the_drums](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mothman_plays_the_drums/gifts).



> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!! 
> 
> This is my gift as part of the [Writertiny Secret Santa exchange](https://twitter.com/WritertinySanta)! I hope you like this little spacey Seongjoong!
> 
> Just a few things: Seonghwa is agender because on his planet the concept of gender doesn't exist; When 'text' appears, it's telepathy; Italic is flashbacks;

“ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ” 

Really, it sounded like gibberish but Hongjoong recognized the language to be Yisnah’an. It would only be natural for it to be that language if the planet he landed on was Yisnah, although he hadn’t been so sure while surpassing the atmosphere barrier. His old spaceship’s radiator needed to cool down before continuing his way home. 

Turning around to the direction of the exalted voice, Hongjoong locked eyes with the creature, one he had only seen in pictures, and that’s when he knew that he was in Yisnah indeed. The creature was what his people called “Native Blues'' and Hongjoong wasn’t a fan of stereotypes but that had to be a Native Blue. 

The displeased being kept their distance, stilled in shooting stance, a type of longbow Hongjoong hadn’t seen before, face contorted in determination. Hongjoong knew he had to say something or do something, run away, engage, anything, but he had never seen a Yisnahan before, his instincts shut down momentarily, as he let his eyes rake over the other.

Their physiques were quite similar except for the height aspect, the Yisnahan was nearly double Hongjoong’s size. Their sapphire blue skin had been adorned with dark unknown symbols, perhaps runes, coursing through the visible skin into what was hidden by the jumble of clothes tucked around the holographic waist belt. From a spiked shoulder, translucent material scintillated, floating in the air and giving the sensation that the creature was hovering over the stony soil. Now that Hongjoong noticed, they had spikes in the shoulders but from underneath the skirt, a long and thin tail wavered slowly, spiked until its end, looking perilous. But they also had spikes on the forehead resembling horns, black, nearly as black as the creature’s hair which was tangled in various braids of sizes and shapes and reaching their hips with ease. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Hongjoong explained calmly, in his own language, worry filling his gaze, beginning to feel trapped by the enormous Yisnahan. There was no way they could understand Hongjoong it seemed, the grip over the bow only tightened at the foreign words.

Hongjoong’s heart pounded angrily in his chest, mind racing with a million escape routes, forehead sweaty despite the lack of humidity in Yishan. In front of Hongjoong’s eyes popped up various screens, revealing several warnings over his body stress levels but also the data from his spaceship that he coined as StarChaser. The holographic lenses he purchased on his last trip were very handy, as he assumed. At least he was aware Starchaser wouldn’t be able to launch off yet. 

Hongjoong had to act or run for his life. 

‘What are you, red stranger?’ 

“What? How is this worth that much? I’m only giving you half!”

“Young traveler, this has the best quality of the entire Tadpole Galaxy! The fibers of these brushes are made with a technology never seen here, it’s the ones used in the Milky Way! They are extremely rare around this area, you’re not finding them elsewhere but here! Unless you go all the way to Earth!”

“I have seen them for sale, tons of them actually, 5 light-years away from here. They are not that rare, I know there are a lot of Earth products around this area. And you’re setting the prices too high! These brushes are not worth that much!”

“They’re antiques!”

“They’re not antiques if your supplier goes back in time and buys them in bulk.”

“Fine! Give me half!” 

After being nearly thrown out of the store, Hongjoong was proclaimed triumphantly with the haggle (by himself, of course). Triumphant with the huge set of 24 brushes, soft bristles awaiting use, he stuffed them inside the worn satchel bouncing hung from his shoulder. 

Knowing that was the last stop before Hongjoong made his way to Yisnah explained why the alien skimmed through the colossal titanium halls of the emporium, nearly bumping into two reptilians with the hastiness of his steps. 

They didn’t set an hour to meet, as that concept ran differently on every planet, however, Hongjoong was already familiar with how much time he needed to get to Yisnah, and he knew when he’d arrive that Seonghwa would be in the same spot, hopefully waiting. That would be the fifth time Hongjoong would visit Seonghwa and he wished he could confidently say that no, he didn’t have enraged butterflies in his stomach whenever he thought of the other but that would be a total lie. Sometimes the oh-so-helpful lenses would notify his quick heart rate, making Hongjoong suppress a furious blush from his own body betraying his mind. Good thing his skin is already red.

_“My name is Hongjoong. I’m from 181024, do you know about us?” Hongjoong had heard about telepathy but he had never experienced it. Hearing the other’s voice in his head, now in a language he understood, was weirdly… familiar somehow. It was heard almost as if underwater but still understandable and Hongjoong didn’t know how to describe it any more. “It’s a space ark, not really a planet but…”_

_So Seonghwa could understand him but didn’t know how to talk his language._

_“I was just passing by, I’m not a threat. I don't even have weapons with me, you can check.” Hongjoong’s clothes were clad to his body, getup made of a rare Venusian fiber that reflected indigo when exposed to light. His boots were thigh-high, made of a rusty material Seonghwa had never seen. Hongjoong noticed how the other’s eyes halted at his bionic arm. “This isn’t dangerous, it’s literally just my arm. I can take it off if you want to.”_

_Without waiting, Hongjoong detached the robotic arm from its hinges and put it in the ground, silently cringing at how much dust it projected. In front of him, the Yisnahan gasped, black eyes widening at the inhuman limb. For a moment, they became more alert but they quickly processed how Hongjoong was not threatening at all._

_The weapon was forgotten and soon substituted by chatter and telepathy. Making friends with Seonghwa was the least thing Hongjoong expected from the trip but that was the beauty of traveling across galaxies._

After checking again the location of the spaceship, Hongjoong finally found it. 

In his opinion, the worst part of traveling was finding a spot to park, especially if it was in places as crowded as that giant meteor that had been crossing the Tadpole galaxy for at least 104 years. It had a huge bazaar of items from all universe, Hongjoong knew he couldn’t let it go, it was once in a lifetime opportunity. He didn’t have anything in particular that he needed but he figured looking around wouldn’t hurt. 

And without noticing, his satchel was full of trinkets, some for Yunho and others were for Seonghwa. Yes, plural. Hongjoong bought not only the brushes but more artistic utensils that could perhaps be appreciated by Seonghwa’s curious mind. 

Hongjoong knew Seonghwa was curious and actually knew so much more, after all, that would be the fifth time he was about to go to Yisnah to meet Seonghwa. And there wasn’t even supposed to be a second time, at all. Seonghwa and he bonded over Seonghwa’s art, especially the sculpture they were working on the first time Hongjoong landed there. 

It was a chromatic sturdy sculpture, resembling what earthlings had on their planet, the so-called tiger. But this tiger had wretched wings and five eyes, climbing an invisible wall. Hongjoong had never seen anything like it. Frankly, his planet was completely different from weather to costumes it seemed. Hongjoong had learned that it was The Ancestor, in tiger form. Turned out that Yisnahans can metamorphose, Hongjoong learned something new every day.

Blips and clicks and whooshes sounded as Hongjoong entered Starchaser, quickly settling on his chair and starting the engine. The radar screen turned on, displaying Hongjoong’s surroundings and another screen lit up above his head, showing the galaxy he was in, pinpointed by a blue arrow the planet of Yisnah. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to fill the tank, Hongjoong? Your levels of aesol are just enough to go back.” A smiley green face popped up, the smaller screen the source of the mechanical voice that reverberated throughout the aluminum. 

“I can charge the spaceship there, Tyta. Yisnah is rich in fuel, good thing no one knows.” Spaceships normally didn’t have a built-in A.I assistant, however, Hongjoong was handy and every tweak of Starchaser was incorporated by him. 

“Noted. Preparing for launch.” 

A pop-up in the AI screen had written «ETA to Yisnah: 36h23m59s at 70,257kph - 181024 LOCAL SYSTEM». 

Launching was always turbulent, newer models handled it well however Hongjoong was too fond of Starchaser to let it go for that kind of detail. It was nothing he couldn’t handle. 

And so his trip to Yisnah begun.

_’You came back.’_

_“Huh… yeah, I was just around…” The expression around to describe space distances was extremely far fetched but Seonghwa didn’t know how far was Hongjoong’s planet from there. If it took Hongjoong 96 hours at maximum speed to reach Seonghwa, then that would be information to be disclosed later._

_Seonghwa wasn’t expecting Hongjoong to come by again, and even so, they had prepared a little gift in case. Just in case. And Yisnahan people can’t see the future but they might as well do._

_“Is this for me?” Seonghwa nodded, placing the sculpture delicately on Hongjoong’s palms. His touch was frost cold. “It’s your Ancestor? Is it really okay that I can have this?”_

_‘The Ancestor is us all, I want to give you this. Now we’re closer, no matter where your home is.’_

_A blush was hidden by his naturally red skin but the sincerity overflowing from Seonghwa’s expression and echoing voice was tremendously endearing. They didn’t even communicate normally and yet Hongjoong felt so warm._

_“Wow…” Hongjoong admired the little token better, knowing only a Yishanan chisel would be able to cast damage thus putting it in his satchel. “Your people are really affectionate with each other, huh?”_

_‘To the ones with a good essence, only.’_

_“How do you even know if I’m good? We only met twice.” Seonghwa smiled knowingly, confusing Hongjoong further. He decided not to press it._

_‘I know what I need to know, Hongjoong.’_

It was impossible to not fall asleep, the low rumble of the engine lulled Hongjoong in simply an hour. To be fair, Hongjoong hadn’t slept all the way to the meteor and it was roughly 2 days and a half of travel. His species didn’t need much sleep but Hongjoong liked napping and he could do it anywhere, Starchaser being his number one spot for the best naps.

Weird things have happened since he met Seonghwa. First, blushing. Then, heart-throbbing at non-threatening situations, like Seonghwa laughing or Seonghwa… yeah, just Seonghwa. And since a few weeks ago, he began dreaming! His people couldn’t dream at all but there he was, envisioning Seonghwa while his body rested. And if we really scrutinize this, why did Hongjoong return? No matter how much a conclusion was attempted to be drawn, nothing made sense. That’s what Hongjoong felt with Seonghwa, a lot of the logical things he was taught when young suddenly were illogical. That his people didn’t love, romantically, or didn’t get attached to things, physically. There wasn’t possibly anything bounding Hongjoong, that’s what he was accustomed to. And yet. 

The third time Hongjoong visited Seonghwa was sole because Seonghwa made him promise that he’d come back. And so he did.

_’Hongjoong…’_

_“We can talk in your language now.”_

_“Oh- You learned?” Seonghwa, that had been on the floor carving the base of a finished statue, wore a startled expression made of knitted eyebrows and widened eyes. Hongjoong had to stop forgetting how tall Seonghwa was in comparison to him._

_“My people are very quick learners, we can excel in anything in no time. And I have a lot of free time while I’m traveling.”_

_“Wow….” Seonghwa murmured, still dumbstruck. “Your accent is cute.”_

_Oh God, there his heart went again, missing a beat at the unforeseen comment. And even though, Hongjoong tried to play it cool, his lack of timed response made Seonghwa chuckle._

_“You just sound like Yishanan from the west.”_

_“So there are accents, huh?” Yeah, maybe ignoring the way being called cute made him feel would work for now._

_“Yisnah is still a big planet. At least to us.” Seonghwa shrugged before walking towards Hongjoong. “I’m just glad you came back.”_

_“Oh, why?”_

_“It’s what people talk about. The feeling of missing… I have been missing your company. Would that sound weird to you? I’m not acquainted with your people, Hongjoong.”_

_“My people… don’t really feel. But I understand! We don’t feel but… I think I know what missing feels like.”_

“Hongjoong, Yunho is calling.” The A.I brought him back to the spaceship from another one of his naps. Somehow, he felt like he should be seizing his time better but did that really matter when his lifespan was incredibly long?

“I dozed off again… Put him on speaker.” On the A.I screen, Yunho appeared. The image was fizzling and Yunho was just a bunch of pixels. It was hard to be on call when he was so far from each other. 

“Hongjoong! Where ar….. heading to? I thought…. were around but I just ….... by your building and the light was ....”

“Guess where am I going.”  
“Probably… wait did you go to that bazaar? I wanted to …. with you!”

“Sorry, I just passed by. I’m heading somewhere else now.”

“What?”

“I’m going somewhere else!”

“Ah! Yis...? What’s so interesting…. it? Isn’t it…. dust and shacks?”

_’What is that?’_

_“It’s a teleporter. I brought you a few things but I can’t carry them on my own so I’m summoning them.” Hongjoong showed the metal disk he had just taken out of his satchel. He wasn’t supposed to bring so much stuff but he couldn’t help himself to get everything he found. After all, Seonghwa would have no way to discover those tools if they didn’t leave Yisnah ever. Yes, Hongjoong was simply being a good friend. A friend that spent way too much of his money just to see the other smile, pointy teeth endearing him to his core._

_“Wait, don’t do it here. Let’s go back.”_

_As expected Seonghwa’s home was nearby, which meant half an hour of walking through arboreous surroundings and here and their swamps, liquids glimmering hot pink on natural light, and Hongjoong could only imagine he could lose another limb if he ever touched those waters._

_Too distracted with the unknown environment, Hongjoong hadn’t yet had time to even internalize he was about to enter Seonghwa’s hometown and… personal space. A pop-up in his lenses notified the sudden quick heart rate as if it needed a warning._

_A small agglomeration of tall constructions rising towards the vivid violets of the sky finally was seen between the high red trees, leaves crimson and still. Seemed like everything on that planet was huge, including its wildlife._

_Entering through the front gates, some Yisnahans roaming around noticed the foreign physique of Hongjoong but nothing was said. Seonghwa also didn’t mention anything so he guessed all was good. Just like the sculptures, the houses had a chromatic finish, swirls, and whirls of details carved throughout the entirety of the frontages. Seonghwa’s blended in well, Hongjoong wondered if they were the one behind it._

_“Come, now.” As foots creaked on the floor panels, the entire division lit up. At first glance, the house was pretty normal with a few similar pieces and furniture to his own except that everything seemed double the size. The ceiling was incredibly tall, not even Seonghwa could reach it even if he tried to extend his arm up. Hongjoong felt even smaller than usual._

_“Is it okay for me to be here?”_

_“You mean the village, right?” Seonghwa questioned before placing his sculpting tools inside a tall woven basket next to the front door. “They don’t mind, don’t worry. You’re safe.”_

_“I mean it’s not every day they see someone from the outside.” Hongjoong chuckled, taking the teleporting disk out of his bag once more. “Can I place it here?” Seonghwa hummed in agreement to the wide space Hongjoong pointed to. Pushing the sole button on the disk, Hongjoong quickly stepped back to let the boxes materialize one by one, catching the astonished sound Seonghwa let out between the static rumble of the objects substantiating._

_“Four...Five! Five boxes?” Seonghwa queried a deep blue eyebrow at Hongjoong. “All for me?”_

_“Yeah, it’s no big deal.” There it was, the smile. Hongjoong had never seen something so beautiful, so mesmerizing, so daunting like so. “Let’s open them.”_

_While Seonghwa murmured that it was too much, they went through the boxes. Hongjoong explained every tool, its origin, its functionality, how to clean, everything. Most of those Seonghwa had never seen, mainly the pigments of colors nonexistent in Yisnah._

_“On this planet, there isn’t this color at all, anywhere. This is a rarity, I don’t think I’ll be able to use it.”_

_“You should, I can get you more if you want.”_

_“Then I should pay you.”_

_“I can’t convert Yisnah money.” Hongjoong shook his head at the suggestion. “Seriously, don’t bother!”_

_Seonghwa had gotten up but it wasn’t to fetch money as the other deduced._

_“If money doesn’t work, I’ll offer you food whenever you come by.”_

_“It’s seriously al-”_

_“Stop refusing, Hongjoong!” Their voice came out more irritated than intended but it worked on shutting Hongjoong down. Faltering eyes wandered elsewhere. “It’s our tradition and besides… I want to do it.”_

_“Do what?”_

_“Offer you food. Do you know what offering food means here?” Hongjoong didn’t notice the way Seonghwa’s lips faltered for a second, out of nervousness._

_“Well… I guess it’s courtesy? Or at least an act of- uh, of caring?”_

_“Hmm, something like that. So you won’t refuse it, right?” Hongjoong shrugged at it. “Then I’ll make you something delicious! You must be starving from the trip. I mean… I don't even know how far away you live from here but… it doesn’t matter, I’ll cook you something!”_

_Just like that, they moved to an area that could be considered the kitchen, even though no appliances actually looked like those back in Hongjoong’s apartment. The latter did offer his help but Seonghwa refused, not even out of courtesy but because he didn’t know how things worked in Yisnah. Just by looking, Hongjoong knew he wouldn’t be of any help._

_“My species don’t need to eat as often. Not even sleep, you know.”_

_“How’s that possible?” Seonghwa asked curiously, eyes not leaving his task. “You sound like a robot, or a cyborg… well with that arm aren’t you a cyborg?”_

_“Uh… I have never thought of it because almost everyone back at home has robotic parts. It’s a long story, I’ll leave it for later.” Seonghwa nodded, not pushing further. Hongjoong didn’t seem to get into it, even if they were up for storytime. “It smells really good, Seonghwa. Even though I don’t really know what’s that.”_

_“It’s one of my favorite dishes, typical of this village. You’ll see.”_

_And Hongjoong saw, tasted, and loved it. It wasn’t anything like he had tasted before, which was fairly easy since in the ark there were probably 20 different foods and no one cared enough about food to revolutionize it. There was a lot needed change there but Hongjoong felt content with his adventures. He felt content next to Seonghwa._

_That thought, so natural by the way it just formed itself, stilled Hongjoong for a moment, food mid-air._

_“You really look small on my chairs, I’m sorry. I’ll fetch a few pillows!” Seonghwa quickly came back with two huge pillows where Hongjoong sat again, now a bit higher and reaching for the table better. Then, Seonghwa began laughing, louder than his usual volume, startling Hongjoong that had been still brooding over his small physique in comparison to the other._

_“W-What?”_

_“Oh, I’m sorry! Am I offending you? I just can’t help it, you really do look adorable! Are you uncomfortable? Maybe I should get smaller furniture for you.”_

_“Oh, no, no, why would you bother? It’s not like I’m here for long anyway.” Hongjoong quickly dismissed it, having trouble breathing when Seonghwa would not just stop calling him all types of things. Things that made him blush and feel so warm, chest tightening._

_“You could, if you wanted to…”_

_“O-oh.” The surprised sound choked out. “You want me to come more often?”_

_“Well, if you wanted….. You could even stay longer. Days, I mean. Yisnah days.” For another moment, Hongjoong felt his body locking, nuances finding answers on their own._

_Seonghwa wanted Hongjoong to stay._

_And what if Hongjoong wanted the exact same?_

«ETA to Yisnah: 00h12m38s at 70,257kph - 181024 LOCAL SYSTEM»

Hongjoong was about to land and that’s when the realization that he hadn’t yet took a shower or brushed his teeth or even brushed his hair hit him. He couldn’t possibly present himself like that to Seonghwa. 

“Tyta! Make us orbit, I’m not ready to land!”

Not when he was about to spend a few days there. Yisnah days, to be more precise, were nearly twofold bigger than Hongjoong’s local days so it would pass slowly, which was great, it only meant more time he could enjoy with Seonghwa. Except that, with Seonghwa, time seemed to run even faster than his own local time. 

Yunho asked what was there in Yisnah that was so fascinating for Hongjoong to keep going back. He wouldn’t understand, no one would. Not when romantic love wasn’t something that existed abundantly back home. Not when his species didn’t start with two people loving each other. So, Seonghwa would understand. He seemed to do it. And Hongjoong was determined to know that. 

They might live 20 lightyears away from each other but that doesn’t mean Hongjoong can’t make it work.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading it!! 
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/meowhwa), [cc](https://curiouscat.me/lqseonghua) and if you want to support me here's my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/meowhwas)


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